Last December, Politico explored Congressman Whitfield’s support of controversial animal-welfare legislation promoted by his wife and the Humane Society. The Legislative Fund has donated at least $8,000 to Whitfield since 2011, when his wife began lobbying for it.

Click to read Politico's report

Whitfield denied wrongdoing, or even an appearance of impropriety, and told Politico that anyone who disagreed could file an ethics complaint against him.

Whitfield and lobbyist Juanita Duggan, who for more than a decade were partners in a property deal at a posh West Virginia resort, also have had ties to a group that provided travel to exotic places for questionable legislative purposes.

A 2006 report by Public Citizen, a Washington-based advocacy group, found that between 2000 and 2004, the congressman and his wife took trips to Scotland, Italy, Hungary and California at a cost of $34,465. The trips, which also included lobbyists, were paid for by the Ripon Educational Fund, an affiliate of the Ripon Society.

Between 1997 and mid-2005, Whitfield received more than $78,000 from Ripon board members and affiliated political-action committees, the Public Citizen report said.

In January, The New York Times caught up with Whitfield in Vail, Colorado, as he and several other members of Congress hobnobbed with prominent lobbyists as part of a “Winter Escape to Vail Weekend.”

Among the lobbyists present was one from PPL Corp., a Pennsylvania-based energy company and a major donor to Whitfield. Only days after the Vail trip, The Times reported, Whitfield introduced legislation that would allow utilities like PPL to build new coal-burning power plants, overriding environmental restrictions recently imposed by the Obama administration.

The Times story quoted Whitfield as telling a room packed with lobbyists: “The most important thing is we want all of you to have fun, because I know we’re going to have a lot of snow tomorrow. Thank you again for your support, and continue your celebrating tonight.”

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A KyCIR investigation into money, politics and ethics explored the business ties between longtime U.S. Congressman Ed Whitfield, his lobbyist wife, and another well-known lobbyist. For more than a decade, the trio was linked in a financial partnership — a land deal at a luxury resort in West Virginia. Meanwhile, the two lobbyists had clients and employers with business before Whitfield in Congress.

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R.G. Dunlop is an award-winning investigative reporter whose work has exposed government corruption and resulted in numerous reforms. In a 35-year career at the Courier-Journal, he served as Eastern Kentucky bureau chief, Legal Affairs reporter, City Editor, and State Enterprise Reporter. Dunlop is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and was twice a member of teams that won George Polk Awards.

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Black community leaders want Attorney General Jack Conway to examine whether Gov. Steve Beshear skirted state law in not selecting a single African-American for the University of Louisville's Board of Trustees.

A congressional ethics subcommittee has been directed to investigate whether U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield violated House rules in connection with his wife's lobbying work for The Humane Society of the United States.

An examination of Congressman Ed Whitfield's ties to a failing tech company, which featured his wife as a board member. Whitfield didn't disclose the relationship in a Congressional hearing and later told reporters his wife had no stock or involvement in the company, when she did.

An examination of Congressman Ed Whitfield's ties to a failing tech company, which featured his wife as a board member. Whitfield didn't disclose the relationship in a Congressional hearing and later told reporters his wife had no stock or involvement in the company, when she did.

A congressional ethics subcommittee has been directed to investigate whether U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield violated House rules in connection with his wife's lobbying work for The Humane Society of the United States.

Whitfield is a waste of tax payer’s money. He is just like Obmoma throws the rules out the window to mis-lead the American people. Vote no to the job killing, HSUS backed S1406. People it is time to get rid of the mis-leading politicians like Obmoma and Whitfield

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